A global effort is underway to close the AI divide.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues reshaping our world, the need for accessible AI education has never been more urgent.

The AI Skills Coalition recently held its first public meeting and introduced its newly formed Steering Committee during an open online AI for Good event.

The AI Skills Coalition, launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in March, has brought together governments, companies, experts and advocates to make learning opportunities on AI available to everyone, everywhere.

The global training initiative aims to equip at least 10,000 individuals around the world with essential AI skills by the end of 2025.

Building bridges, removing barriers

ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasized the transformative potential of AI in society and the workplace, as well as the need to connect the everyone to AI opportunities, including the estimated 2.6 billion people worldwide who remain completely offline today.

“Those 2.6 billion risk missing out altogether on this AI transformation revolution,” she said. “We can’t let that happen.”

The AI Skills Coalition now boasts more than 40 committed partners and over 60 AI training opportunities through its platform.

“The real measure of progress is going to be seen when we look at the number of lives and livelihoods that are transformed by new or strengthened AI skillsets,” said Bogdan-Martin.

AI literacy starts early

Cynthia Breazeal, founder of Personal Robots Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), called for a new understanding of AI literacy, one that starts as early as primary school.

“70 per cent of teens have used at least one type of generative AI,” she said, citing a Common Sense Media report.

“It’s also really important that our students are prepared to become engaged, productive citizens, who can use AI and understand its societal implications, so they have an informed voice in terms of how they want AI to be integrated into society,” said Breazeal, as she outlined the major goals of bringing AI literacy to K12 students.

Through MIT’s free, open source Day of AI curriculum, students and teachers across all disciplines can gain hands-on experience with AI concepts, ethics, and system design.

Addressing the capacity gap

According to a recent Microsoft Work Trends Index 2025 survey, organizations are under pressure to build productivity to keep pace with competition and workforce constraints, while workers are overwhelmed by busy work and interruptions.

“80 per cent of workers felt that they lacked the energy and the time to do their work,” said Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager for Digital Inclusion and Community Engagement at Microsoft Philanthropies.

Could skilled AI usage help them get ahead of their tasks and unlock greater job success?

The survey, Santa Lucia added, also reveals that companies want to accelerate and reward AI-skilled workers: “79 per cent of leaders see AI as a career accelerator,” she said.  

Microsoft offers many tools, including the AI Skills Navigator, to help workers upskill and pivot toward more strategic, high-value tasks.

Introducing the Steering Committee

The five-person Steering Committee, formally introduced at the session, is tasked with ensuring AI Skills Coalition outputs remain globally relevant and inclusive.

“The Steering Committee,” explained Bilel Jamoussi, ITU’s Chief of Telecommunication Standardization Policy, “will help us shape the coalition’s direction and ensure we remain aligned with our global mission.”

The coalition’s open platform is designed to enable collaboration, coordinate efforts and help scale up innovation across regions and sectors.

As the session closed, ITU issued a call to all stakeholders: Stay engaged, bring your expertise, and help build an AI future that serves everyone, not just a few.

Watch the full event:

At the upcoming summit

Partners, learners and coalition members are gearing up to meet in Geneva, Switzerland, at ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit this July.

The AI Skills Coalition will host in-person workshops, announce new initiatives from the AI for Good stage, and help organize the Global Robotics for Good Youth Challenge Grand Finale.

About the AI Skills Coalition and training courses